Russ Mayberry Dead at 86

TV director Russ Mayberry died July 27 in Fort Collins, Colorado after brief illness. He was 86.

Mayberry was a busy director of series television beginning in 1967 with episodes of THE FLYING NUN and THE MONKEES, among others. During his 46-year career in the industry, he helmed episodes of DALLAS (Season 12), GLITTER, THE BRADY BUNCH, THAT GIRL, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS, MAGNUM, P.I. and IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, among many other series.

Mayberry mostly directed sitcoms in the first few years but he soon transitioned into directing dramas, including BARETTA, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON (an episode of which he also produced).

Mayberry started out in the TV business as a stage hand at WBKB in Chicago, and his career took him to Memphis and New York, back to Chicago and then to California.

Survivors include Mayberry's wife, Sandy; a son; a daughter; two grandchildren; and a brother.